Shoulder pain while pitching

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Sep 16, 2019
12
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DD is 10 and has been pitching for a year and a half. She had been taught HE until I discovered DFP. We began the switch to IR in November. Toward the end of February she began having pain. She has pain only at the location of my thumb in the picture. It is not superficial pain, I have to push my thumb in to reach the area. We have rested and stretched her arm for 3 weeks and today was our first day back. We threw 15 from 9 o'clock, 15 from 12 o'clock, and 15 walk throughs. By the end of the walk throughs, she said she was starting to get tightness in that same area and we shut it down. Is there anything in her mechanics that you guys see that could be the source of her pain?

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Aug 20, 2017
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Looks like it’s upper bicep which could mean biceps tendon. IMO that long backswing could be the cause. She looks pretty solid BTW. How much has she pitched?
 
Sep 16, 2019
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She has pitched a few seasons of rec and had one tournament of travel ball in the fall. No action since switching to IR. Our travel ball season was supposed to start the last weekend of April, but that is obviously not happening here in Indiana.

I had initially suspected biceps tendonitis, but the only exercises that hurt are when she has her arm straight out forward at 3 and raises to 12 with resistance and also with arm straight out to the side, elbow bent 90 degrees horizontal, rotate arm up to vertical (like the signal for stop) with resistance. No other motion will result in pain.
 
Aug 20, 2017
1,474
113
She has pitched a few seasons of rec and had one tournament of travel ball in the fall. No action since switching to IR. Our travel ball season was supposed to start the last weekend of April, but that is obviously not happening here in Indiana.

I had initially suspected biceps tendonitis, but the only exercises that hurt are when she has her arm straight out forward at 3 and raises to 12 with resistance and also with arm straight out to the side, elbow bent 90 degrees horizontal, rotate arm up to vertical (like the signal for stop) with resistance. No other motion will result in pain.
My number 1 high school pitcher recently had surgery to repair her labrum that was torn on the bottom. Also had 4 pieces of cartilage that was had come off and was getting in between the biceps tendon and the bicepital groove area or something like that. He said the way she is built had something to do with it. Her shoulder pinch forward. Not necessarily posture but just how she was made. This girl constantly complained of tightness in this same area. Doc also said the injury occurred over a year ago and the broken cartilage getting in that area it did is what caused the pain to be too much to tolerate.

You have done the right thing by resting it. Since the pain is still their, my advice is to have her checked out by an ortho that specializes in shoulder stuff. It will give you and her peace of mind. With it being non-essential not sure you can do it right now. They performed the surgery on my high school pitcher because it hurt when she slept and that made it “essential”.

Im treating pitchers I coach similar to baseball. I’m not letting them throw more than 90-100 pitches in a game. I coach travel and high school. I firmly believe overuse is a major issue in travel ball as pitchers get older.

You can also look up some of Wassermans strengthening exercises for shoulders and try to kinda rehab it that way. Anyway, hope that helps!
 

BigSkyHi

All I know is I don't know
Jan 13, 2020
1,385
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I agree with Cornbread in that she looks pretty solid. At the top of her back swing the ball is facing the catcher, Don't believe I have aver seen that before. Feels like it creates a lot of twist in the shoulder.
 
Oct 26, 2019
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Not to alarm you by any means but one of the girls on our 10U team had pain near that same spot and I thought it was also biceps tendinitis. She went to an ortho after some time and it ended up being stress fractures in the growth plate. It is way more common at that age than you would think...I would take her and get it checked out just in case.
 
Sep 16, 2019
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Thank you everyone for all of the replies. Little leaguers shoulder has been mentioned several times by others that I have consulted and that is actually what I feel it is. I know we will not be able to get in to ortho right now since it is not an emergency, but treatment for each condition involves rest, stretching, and strengthening. That is what we will focus on until I can get a professional opinion.
 
Apr 17, 2019
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Looks like it’s upper bicep which could mean biceps tendon. IMO that long backswing could be the cause. She looks pretty solid BTW. How much has she pitched?

My daughter almost the same age, was diagnosed with LLS too and has been resting it since January, she also has a really long back swing like the OP's. This makes me think that maybe that was the cause of hers.
 
May 16, 2016
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I know we will not be able to get in to ortho right now since it is not an emergency,

You may be surprised. Many Doctors that are not involved in ER or Infectious diseases are actually not busy at all. I imagine orthopedists are not too busy right now. Doesn't hurt to call.
 
Sep 16, 2019
12
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Update: We did get in to ortho 3 weeks ago. She was diagnosed with deltoid tendonitis. We were given daily exercises to do and were told we could continue softball activity as long as the pain does not exceed a 3 on the scale. As of Monday, we can get 5 full speed pitches in (after stretching and warmup of course) before the pain reaches level 3. Batting also produces pain exceeding a 3 after 15 swings. We are approaching 2 months of rest and rehab and I do not feel that we are making any progress. Since the initial 3 weeks of rest, it has hurt more than it did before rest. We have a follow up appointment coming up on Monday.
 

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